Former state rep, business advocate dies at 89

Hugh MacKenzie Sr., who served for a decade as a state representative before working to attract businesses to Eastern Connecticut, died Dec. 20 at age 89.

Born on a Waterford dairy farm, MacKenzie was elected to the state’s General Assembly in 1953 and served 10 years as his hometown’s representative. During his tenure in Hartford, MacKenzie also served on the Waterford Board of Selectmen from 1957-63 and was elected the town’s first selectman from 1963-67.

Mary Carol MacKenzie, Hugh MacKenzie’s wife of 55 years, said her husband was particularly proud of his involvement with the purchase of the Waterford Town Beach, the establishment of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and the siting of the Millstone nuclear power plant.

The couple later moved to Windham County, living in Pomfret, Brooklyn and Chaplin, places MacKenzie became familiar with when he worked for the state Department of Economic Development.

“He used to bring his lunch and pull over on the side of the road up there and eat it,” Mary Carol said. “He liked the rural atmosphere there.”

Beginning in 1969, MacKenzie spent 21 years with the department and is credited with bringing several business to Eastern Connecticut, including Frito-Lay in Dayville, Staples in Putnam and BST Systems Inc. in Plainfield. In an 1989 interview, MacKenzie spoke of the advantages Eastern Connecticut had to offer to businesses.

“Eastern Connecticut remains one of the premium manufacturing locations in the state,” he said then. “It has an excellent labor force, offers a prime location within a 250-mile radius of major cities, and real estate costs are substantially lower than elsewhere in the state. To be able to help a company find a suitable location, especially in my home area of Eastern Connecticut, was very rewarding.”

MacKenzie also volunteered with the Brooklyn Housing Authority, helping to acquire the town’s senior center and assisting with oversight of the Quebec Square renovations. Mary Carol MacKenzie described her husband as a humble man who took pride in the part he played in the region’s economic growth.

“He did get a great deal of satisfaction meeting with owners of businesses and property owners,” she said. “And he was pleased with helping to bring a number of jobs to the area.”

State Sen. Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, who served as Thompson’s first selectan when Hugh MacKenzie was wrapping up his career with the state, said MacKenzie has able to bring a unique persepective to his work in the region.

“He knew Eastern Connecticut, having lived in both in the southeastern and northeastern parts of the state,” Williams said. “And is was terrific to have that voice. He had roots here and was active in every community. He had a vision for development that was respective of the region.”

MacKenzie graduated from Chapman Technical School in New London in 1942 and received a bachelor’s degree from UConn’s School of Agriculture in 1951. As an adult, MacKenzie stayed active in numerous religious, social, political, cultural and agricultural organizations in Waterford, Pomfret and Brooklyn.

After retiring from the state’s payroll in 1989, MacKenzie was active in the Scotland Highland Festival Association of Eastern Connecticut and could be seen reciting the poetry of Robert Burns at local Scottish events.

In addition to his wife, MacKenzie is also survived by his four grandchildren, Jessie and Warren MacKenzie, of New London, and Evelyn and Hugh MacKenzie and their mother, Carol MacKenzie, of Columbia. He was predeceased by a daughter, Molly MacKenzie Blauvelt, and two sisters, Margaret and Mary.